Magneto casing, cover, and cable supporting and sealing means therefor



Oct. 16, 1951 w. J. SPENGLER Er AL 774 MAGNETO CASING, COVER, AND CABLE SUPPORTING AND SEALING MEANS THEREFOR Filed July 23, 1946 l \W a ::::tj% m 13 a/ W 7 76 nZ ENToRs.

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Patented Oct. 16, 1951 MAGNETO CASING, COVER, AND CABLE SUPPORTING AND SEALING MEANS THEREFOR Walter J. Spengler and William G. Roloson, Sidney, N. Y., assignors to Bendix Aviation Corporation, New York Delaware N. Y., a corporation of Application July 23, 1946, Serial No. 685,577

2 Claims. (o1. 173-328) This invention relates to electrical apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for making electrical connections such as in current distributing devices or the like adapted for use in the ignition system of internal combustion engines.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide novel meansfor connecting and protecting the high tension outlet cables of an ignition distributor or the like.

Another object is to provide novel apparatus whereby a plurality of electrical leads may be readily and quickly connected to and disconnected from an electrical current distributor or similar device in such a manner as to safely segregate the leads from each other and thereby prevent sparking from one to the other.

Still another object is to provide novel means for connecting the output terminals of an ignition distributor or the like with a plurality of electrical leads whereby the access of moisture and injurious gases to vital parts of the structure is prevented.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and do not constitute a definition of the limits of the invention, reference for this latter purpose being had primarily to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is an end view partly in section and with parts broken away looking from the right in Fig. 1 with portion H of the casing and its contents removed.

A single embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, by way of example, as being incorporated in a small magneto generator and distributor adapted for use in supplying high voltage current to the spark plugs of a six cylinder internal combustion engine in predetermined sequence. The embodiment illustrated comprises a metallic housing comprising two major body portions in and i I and a cover 15 for an opening in body portion ll. Casing members I and il may be secured together in a suitable manner such as by means of bolts [2, and cover 15 may be secured to casing member, H by means of a plurality of set screws l3 or some other suitable means. In order to secure good radio shielding characteristics, cover has metal to metal contact with casing II at ll, one of the engaging surfaces being preferably fiat and the other being preferably spherical to thereby provide substantially line contact with high specific pressure at each point of contact. A good mechanical seal as well as a good radio shielded joint is thus provided.

Mounted within casing member ID is a magnetic rotor l4 which may be of any suitable known construction. The specific rotor illustrated being described in detail and claimed in our copending application Serial No. 681,448, filed on July 5, 1946. Rotor M cooperates in a manner well known in the art with laminated stator poles 30 and 3! to create periodic reversals of magnetic flux through the core 34 of an ignition coil 15, the latter being held in position by means of spring clamps 6B which are in turn secured in place by set screws 69. One end of the clamps 68 is attached to screw 69 and by it is held in fixed relation to the casing. An intermediate portion has an offset designed to bear upon the core 34 with material pressure obtained from the spring action of the clamp. The other end of the spring clamp is downwardly and backwardly bent and bears at its tip against'the core to hold it against the casing 61 with such force as may be applied by screw 69 against the resilience of the metal.

Ignition coil l5 comprises primary and secondary windings, the former of which is connected in circuit in a well known manner with a circuit breaker 11. The reversals of the magnetic flux through core 34 generate alternating currents in the primary winding of coil IS. The interruption of the circuit through the primary winding by means of circuit breaker ll results in the induction of a high tension current in the secondary winding of coil 15. This current is supplied to a point of use such as the spark plugs of an engine through a distributing mechanism to be hereinafter described.

Circuit breaker Il may be of any well known construction and in the illustrated embodiment the contacts thereof are periodically separated by cam lobes 33 formed on the surface of an insulating element 36 which is in turn secured to rotor M for rotation therewith.

In the form illustrated, the current distributing mechanism comprises a rigid block 35 of insulating material. Preferably in alignment with the axis of rotation of rotor 14 is a terminal 39 which is connected to the high potential end of spring contact 42 and a conductor 4| embedded in block 35. The current from terminal 39 is picked up by a resilient brush 6'! which is .carried by rotating element 35. From 4'! the current flows through an electrode 49 and thence across an air gap in sequence to a plurality of circularly arranged conductors 40 which are shown as being moldedinto block 35.

The outlet end of each of the conductors 4E3 terminates in the base of a cone-like or tapered recess in the right hand face of block 35, as viewed in Fig. 1, there being'one recess for each of said conductors. In this specification a conical recess or passage is one that has a conical part.

Casing cover is provided with a plurality of passages 80 for receiving insulated conductors 46 which may in turn be surrounded by flexible metallic shielding conduits 16 of any well known construction. Each of the passages 8!] is in axial alignment with one of the recesses 16 in block and the inner end of each of said passages is preferably cone-like or tapered.

Novel means are interposed between cover 15 and distributor block 35 for effecting a quick and satisfactory detachable connection between cable 46 and conductors while at the same time eliminating access of moisture and gases between the interior of casing IQ, H', the shielding conduits l6 and the spaces within recesses 10 where the electrical connections are made. In the form shown, said means comprises a resilient adaptor member 12 which comprises a web portion 14 from which a plurality of pairs of oppositely extending cone-like bosses 13, 13a project laterally. Each pair of bosses 73, 13a is adapted to project into and yieldably engage the walls of a passage 86 and a recess 18, respectively. The dimensions of the parts are preferably such that when cover 15 is secured in place, adaptor 12 will be sufficiently compressed to insure good contact between the bosses thereon and the tapered Walls of recesses 10 and 80. The adaptor and its cables is removable as a unit.

Each pair of bosses on adaptor member 12 is provided with a differential bore therethrough, the larger portion of said bore being adapted to receive the insulating conductor 46- whereas the smaller portion thereof is adapted to pass only the conductor itself. The end of said conductor is preferably soldered or otherwise suitably secured to a washer or similar terminal 8 i.

With the parts in assembled relation, terminals 8| are electrically connected with distributor conductors 40 by means of a coil spring 1!. The latter is preferably detachably secured to conductor 40 by having an enlarged turn which may be expanded into an inner enlarged portion 85 of a recess 86 in the conductor. By this construction the spring is detachable by effort but not by accident.

The circuit breaker mechanism i! may be connected to ground for rendering the magneto generator ineffective through the connections generally indicated by the numerals i3 and 19. The

terminal 18 may constitute a part of a suitable and holds it firmly but resiliently in full protection against shocks of any kind, so that the danger of a broken wire or a breaking of the contact connection is minimized.

An advantage of-the invention is in the construction of the distributor system and in the firm mounting and resilient protection afforded the leads.

Another advantage of the invention is in the two-directional resilient mounting of the coil of a magneto.

Another advantage is in utilizing all the resilient cable supports for their mutual strengthening so. that the vibrations that are transmitted to the upper member 12 of Fig. l are to some extent absorbed, as the upper member is supported, by the remaining five members and the web that connects them.

This mounting also has advantages in permitting the simultaneous withdrawal of all the leads for the purpose of inspecting the terminals and spring contacts.

Although only a single embodiment of the present invention is herein illustrated and described, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts and in the materials used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. For a definition of the limits of the invention, reference is had primarily. to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a casing having an opening therein, a rigid terminal support secured in said casing adjacent to and facing said opening, a rigid cover for said opening, said cover and terminal support each having a plurality of spaced bosses projecting from the adjacent faces thereof, each said boss havin a cone-like recess therein and each said boss on the cover being in axial alignment with a said boss on the terminal support, said cover having passages connecting the said recesses therein with the exterior of the casing, a terminal at the closed end of each said recess in the terminal support,

* a cable support of resilient insulating material interposed between said cover and terminal support comprising a web and a plurality of spaced pairs of externally conical bosses, each said pair including aligned bosses projecting from opposite faces of said web into aligned recesses in the bosses on said cover and terminal support and each said pair of bosses having a bore therethrough, said bore being of reduced diameter adjacent one end thereof, an electrical conductor extending through each said bore and passage and having a close fit in the reduced portion of said bore, insulation surrounding said conductor in said bore and closely fitting the larger diameter portion of the bore, a terminal secured to the end of said conductor to prevent withdrawal of the latter from said bore and for making electrical contact with one of said terminals in said terminal support, and means for securing said cover to said casing for applying compressive pressure to the bosses on said resilient cable support.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a casing having an opening therein, a rigid terminal support secured in said casing adjacent to and facing said opening, a rigid cover for said opening, said cover and terminal support having bosses projecting from adjacent faces thereof, said bosses having axially aligned cone-like recesses therein with the larger diameter portions of the recesses at the adjacent ends of the bosses, said cover having a passage connecting the reduced end of said recess therein with the exterior of the casing, a terminal at the closed end of the recess in the terminal support, a resilient cable support interposed between said cover and terminal support comprising a web interposed. between said adjacent ends of said bosses and an externally conical boss projecting from each face of said web into said recesses, said cable support bosses having a differential bore therethrough with a reduced diameter portion adjacent one end thereof, an electrical conductor extending through said passage and bore and having a close fit in the reduced portion of said bore, insulation surrounding said conductor in said bore and closely fitting the larger diameter portion of the bore, a terminal secured to the uninsulated end of said conductor to prevent withdrawal of the latter from said bore and for making electrical contact With the terminal in the terminal. support recess, and means for securing said cover to said casing for applying compressive pressure to urge the bosses on the cable support into said recesses.

WALTER J. SPENGLER. WILLIAM G. ROLOSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Numcer Name Date 965,684 Bierce et al July 26, 1910 2,026,490 Bell Dec. 31, 1935 2,043,042 Harmon et al. June 2, 1936 2,102,757 Smith Dec. 21, 1937 2,318,659 Atwood et al May 11, 1943 2,352,159 Brodie June 2'7, 1944 2,383,926 White Aug. 28, 1945 2,385,191 Brunelle, Jr. Sept. 18, 1945 2,420,118 Anderson May 6, 1947 2,428,508 Bass Oct. 7, 1947 2,454,838 Richardson et al. Nov. 30, 1948 

